THE Philippines is setting its sights on another historic feat in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, following the recent inclusion of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as a medal sport, prompting Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino to express his high hopes in the newly added discipline.
“Lalaban tayo diyan,” Tolentino said, underscoring the Filipinos’ well-established prowess in MMA.
“Even I was surprised with MMA’s inclusion. We will hold tryouts as soon as possible, and only the best will be chosen to represent us,’’ he added.
According to an MMA official, the selection process will commence with a series of tryouts in June and July. The goal is to identify and develop top-tier athletes capable of adapting to the amateur MMA format.
The Olympic Council of Asia recently confirmed MMA’s official inclusion in the 2026 Games, featuring six weight divisions — four for men (60kg, 65kg, 71kg, and 77kg) and two for women (54kg and 60kg).
MMA at the Asian Games will be divided into two disciplines — traditional and modern.
Traditional MMA requires athletes to wear MMA Gis and protective gear, including a mouthguard, 4oz or heavier gloves, a groin guard (for males), and shin pads. Competitors can utilize the Gi for throws and submission techniques.
Modern MMA features the same protective equipment, but athletes wear fight shorts instead of Gis. Male fighters wear sleeveless rash guards, while female fighters use sleeved rash guards.
With MMA’s inclusion, the Philippines will face fierce competition from top Asian nations, including host Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, China, South Korea, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Iran. However, given the country’s rich history in combat sports, Filipino fighters are expected to be strong contenders.
The Philippines aims to build on its success from the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where the nation made history by reclaiming the men’s basketball gold after six decades.
The country also secured victories through pole vaulter EJ Obiena and jiu-jitsu athletes Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez.
In the 2026 Asian Games, the Philippines will bank on key sports such as MMA, esports, jiu-jitsu, gymnastics, boxing, men’s basketball, weightlifting, wushu, tennis, and pole vault’s EJ Obiena to deliver podium finishes. (Randy Caluag, Manila standard)
